Draculquiorra
by Phoenix089
Summary: Vampire AU. Full Summary inside. Orihime had never believed in the stories about Draculquiorra - Until she wakes one night to realise that she's been stolen away by the very creature of those stories, and her life will never be the same again.
1. Chapter 1

Just some quick notes about this story before you start reading - I actually started this a long time ago as an entry for the UH HalloweenFest. I_ had_ meant for it to be a one shot ... But then it turned into this long, multi-chapter thing instead which I'm still (slowly) working on.  
>So, no, this is not yet complete. However, I have around twenty chapters to post before you'll have caught up to where I'm writing - And, hopefully, by the time I get to chapter twenty, I'll have managed to finish writing. That being the case, I intend on posting a chapter each week<p>

Also, the theme song for this is "Lust for Blood" by Gackt. If you haven't heard it yet, I really do recommend it - I always put it on when I'm sitting down to write this.

And, on that note ... I think it's time to get on with the story 3

**Full Summary**: Draculquiorra was a fariy tale being entirely made up to frighten young children. Something that Inoue Orihime certainly did not believe in, regardless of the strange attacks and deaths that had been worrying her township recently. And so, when Orihime wakes to discover that she had been captured - that fairy tales have suddenly slipped into the world of her reality - her world is, understandably, turned upside down. However, a new path has opened for her, under the watchful eye of her captor. One that is sure to lead her into a darker realm where the adventures, and relationships she forms are much more exciting than she had ever dreamed. [UlquiHime is given a "Dracula"-edge w] 

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><p>Stories about Draculquiorra were always, always, prevalent in the weeks leading up to Halloween. Parents would tell their children, "Make sure you brush your teeth tonight, or else the Draculquiorra will come to get you!", or "Wash behind your ears! Draculquiorra is particularly fond of children with dirt behind their ears!". As Orihime grew up, she realised how stupid some of those stories were, just excuses to scare negligent children into doing everything they were supposed to of a night.<p>

This year, the stories seemed to be even more noticeable than usual though, and Orihime could only assume that the townspeople were afraid. There had been reports of people of all kinds disappearing – most of these being young women – late into the night, and reappearing in their bed when the morning came. Some if them were already dead when they were found the next morning, other's simply seemed to be lethargic, only to die a few hours later. The only clue to these disappearances lay with those who returned with two puncture wounds in their throat, but with those same people too exhausted to tell them who was behind the attacks before their own death claimed them … Well, the town was buzzing with stories of Draculquiorra.

Did Orihime believe in them? She couldn't quite decide. She would acknowledge that it was odd, after all, not even her fairy-guardians could assist with the revival of those who had been bitten – for it was certainly a bite. The puncture wounds were always the same distance apart, they were even the same depth each time, but what was biting the people … Orihime couldn't say. She didn't want to believe it could be Draculquiorra - it had simply been a wives-tale for so long, she found it hard to believe there was any truth to it anymore. And yet …

Well, regardless, the circumstances were suspicious. That was the only thing she could be sure of as she tended to another young girl, probably fifteen years old this time.

"I'm sorry," Orihime said, turning to the girls mother. "It's the same as the others. I can't seem to heal these wounds. I truly am sorry," and it was apparent in the way her face was contorted with pain.

"I see. Thankyou anyway, Healer-Inoue."

With a heavy sigh, Orihime turned and left the room, giving the mother some privacy with her daughter in their last hours together. Orihime leaned against the wall of the house, trying to ignore the heartbroken sobs of the woman inside. She hated this more than anything - What was the point of having an ability like hers if she couldn't help the people who needed her? A broken leg? Sure, no problem. But, when people are actually dying by some unknown cause … She couldn't do anything. There was just … some odd aura around the bite marks that prevented her from being able to reject it's presence.

No, she did not believe it could be some silly, fairy-tale creature designed to scare children. Whatever this was, it was much, much, more sinister than that.

~X~

At last, it was night, and he was free to roam the streets, away from the prying, prejudiced eyes of the townsfolk. His bright, green eyes flicked over to the red-house to his left, and he grimaced ever so slightly.

It was unlike him, but he'd avoided that house for as long as possible. There was simply an … unusual aura that permeated off it, and yet, each and every time he passed, he felt the inane compulsion to enter. He was, bewilderingly, inclined to find out who lived there … to ascertain who it was that radiated such an overwhelmingly, intoxicating aroma that his mouth watered and his thoughts were _consumed_ every time he caught it.

Resolutely, he trudged on past, hands in his pockets as he watched the bats as they fluttered about in the night sky, trying to locate another scent. One that could distract him from the siren's call behind him.

… … He couldn't do it. On every other night he hunted, he had been able to find another that was at least acceptable. Tonight however, the smell was taunting him. Invading his senses, overtaking his every thought.

By the time he had fully realised what had happened, he found himself standing in the bedroom of a young woman, her sunset hair fanned out around her as though she were the living incarnation of the Sun. As he stood there watching her, pondering over what to do now that he was here, she shifted in her sleep as though she could sense him there, and he melted into the shadows.

It was strange, he decided as he melded himself with the wall, no matter how hungry he was, or wasn't, this woman's smell had always enticed his thirst, and yet … Now that he was here in her very room, he no longer felt the desire to drain her in order to sustain himself. No, if anything … he felt something else, something he couldn't place, something he wasn't sure he wanted to place.

As the Sun's image rolled in her sleep, he wondered whether he should leave and find another who could satisfy his need. And then she spoke, muffled by the pillow, but she certainly had called out.

"Wait, don't go," and her hand was reaching in the direction of the shadows in which he hid.

It was in that moment, he had lost a mental debate with himself. He wanted - No, he _needed_ this woman, and so, he would take her with him. But, unlike the others, he would not return her half-drained, nearing death. Oh no, this mortal Sun fascinated him far too much for that.

So, as silently as the predator he was, Draculquiorra swept forth and pulled the woman's form to him, the window flying open at his command as wings sprouted from his back and he flew off into the night, Bat holding the still-sleeping Sun tight to his chest, wondering if perhaps he was making the biggest mistake of his several-century-long life.

~X~

When Orihime awoke, it was to a strange room filled with scarlet tapestries, and black bedsheets. Filled with shadows and … well, it quite simply looked like it belonged in some gothic-horror novel - It even had what looked like dark grey, stone floors!

"Where -?" she asked the empty air, bringing a hand up to rub the sleep from her eyes.

What she was not expecting was the reply that drifted to her from the shadows, "I see you're finally awake, woman."

Mildly surprised at her lack of fear considering the situation, Orihime turned her head in the direction of the voice and suppressed a surprised gasp. Standing there was a man … or, she _thought_ he was a man. She couldn't be entirely sure, because he had the torso of a human-male, and yet his legs and forearms were covered in thick, black fur. Horns protruded from his inky black, hair, and there were big, leathery bat-wings folded behind his back, not to mention there was an extremely long tail swishing about restlessly behind him. While all these things, in addition to the fangs that were barely hidden by his pale lips, should have startled Orihime - Okay, maybe she was a little startled, but not afraid, somehow - she was entranced by the creature's bright, green eyes, illuminated by the moonlight in a way that they seemed to glow with an other-worldly light.

"Who … are you?" she asked, pulling the covers closer around her.

The creature before her sighed as though he found the answer troublesome, and then, hesitantly, "… I am that which is haunting the stories in your town."

"… That, doesn't tell me much you know."

The creature fixed her with a glare, his mouth tightening ever so slightly before he said in a voice devoid of emotion, "Draculquiorra."

And Orihime burst into a fit of giggles completely inappropriate for the moment before she could stop herself. Draculquiorra's irritation at her reaction was evident in the way his tail suddenly pounded against the floor.

"Sorry, sorry. But is this a joke?" the woman asked, wiping at the water leaking from the corners of her eyes, a smile still on her face.

"Certainly not."

"But … You can't be serious!" Orihime said, an annoyed frown on her face. There was absolutely no doubt in her mind that the man before her was not human - That was obvious if you considered the wings, tail and fur, but … "Draculquiorra? That's just a fairy tale," she stated, folding her arms resolutely across her chest. "Something told to simply frighten young children."

One second, the creature was on one side of the room, and the next, he was right beside Orihime, his tail now positively thrashing about behind him. Orihime, naturally, jumped in surprise, and then she felt it; those first trickles of fear eating away at her resolve. Looking up into those luminescent green eyes, Orihime realised that they were certainly _not_ of this world. But if they weren't from _her_ world, which world did they belong to? The one where fairy tales were not 'tales' at all, but reality?

And, as his lips parted, revealing those decidedly sharp teeth, his eyes narrowing in an almost-defiant fashion, he asked, "Shall I prove it to you?", his eyes resting on the vein of her throat. It was then that Orihime decided it didn't matter from which world Draculquiorra belonged, because right then he was in her world, and those teeth were looking alarmingly sinister as they drew closer to her neck.

"Santen Kesshun!" she cried, and Draculquiorra was forced back several paces by the barrier suddenly erected between them, Orihime's hands enforcing it as she looked at the creature before her, her mouth tight and her brows knitted with concentration.

Draculquiorra looked over at her, his green eyes a fraction wider than usual in his surprise, and then he let loose one amused chuckle. "You truly are a strange woman," he remarked, his eyes taking in the fairies controlling the barrier, and Orihime's defiant expression before sweeping out the room, the door closing with a bang behind him.

Heart racing, Orihime pulled her knees close to her chest, her eyes closed as she drew in deep, calming breaths. "Thankyou, Baigon, Hinagiku and Lily," she spoke to her fairies and they returned to her hairpins, albeit reluctantly.

Blowing the air back out again in a sigh, Orihime realised two things as she lay back down - First, she somehow, inexplicably, was not afraid. She was in an environment she knew absolutely nothing about, not even knowing how she came to be there, but she was not afraid. Confused, yes, but not afraid.

The second was how unbearably sad Draculquiorra looked with those thick tear-stains down his pale face, and she couldn't help but wonder why. 

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><p>And there's chapter one for you - So, what did you think? Hopefully you were able to enjoy it, even if it was me just setting the scene, haha.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

Hello Everyone~~ Thankyou for the reviews on the first chapter! I'm glad to see that people are enjoying this =D

And without further ado, here's the second chapter.

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><p>The next time Orihime woke, it was to the muffled rays of sunlight that crept beneath the curtain. Blinking sleepily, she rolled over and fully intended to fall back asleep. And then she was assaulted by the image of bright green eyes, leathery wings, and a man with furred limbs.<p>

Drawing in a shocked gasp, Orihime sat bolt upright as she realised that it had been no dream. She really was in a room from a gothic-horror novel, surrounded by trinkets and belongings that were not her own.

She felt as though she was going to be sick, and so she bolted over to the window and flung it open, taking the fresh air in with deep, gulping breaths, a cold sweat breaking out on her brow.

Anxiously, Orihime brought her hands to either side of her throat. "Oh, thank goodness," she sighed with relief as her hands found no puncture wounds on either side.

"Orihime-san?" Shun'o asked from where she was hovering beside Orihime's head, and Orihime found reassurance in her presence, and the warmth of the sun. Warmth that was so different to the cold that had emanated from the strange creature Draculquiorra. "Are you … Alright, Orihime-san?"

"No. I'm not alright," Orihime sighed, covering her eyes as she attempted to make sense of the situation and her thoughts. "I'm in a room only god-knows-where, with someone I thought that belonged to fairy tales."

Shun'o frowned, then opened her mouth to speak – but was cut off by another of Orihime's fairy's breaking free of its sealed state.

"Damn it woman! Does it matter if he's from fairy tales? He's real, and he didn't hurt you. That's the main thing, isn't it?" Tsubaki screeched at her, Shun'o sighing behind him.

"I suppose so …" Orihime trailed off thoughtfully. It was true that Draculquiorra hadn't hurt her – yet – but what about all those others he had? From her town alone, he had killed five.

Unbidden, the sorrowful image of her captor surfaced in her mind, and Orihime sighed. This was getting confusing. This was someone she knew could kill, someone who had almost sank his fangs into her neck as well last night, and yet … When she thought of him, she felt no fear, only sympathy. Which was bewildering, to say the least.

Her musings were brought to an abrupt halt, however, when she heard the door behind her open, and she turned around, a little worried, as her fairies hurriedly returned to her hair pins. For the briefest moment she thought that even thinking of Draculquiorra had summoned him.

But it was not her captor that stood in the room, instead it was another man with bright blue hair, his teal eyes feline in nature and a scowl on his face.

"I thought I smelt something odd in here," the newcomer said, a distinctive snarl in his voice, and his eyes swept over Orihime, as though sussing her out. "Why hasn't he killed you yet?" he asked, bluntly, a look of disdain on his face.

Orihime couldn't answer, even if she wanted to, her throat felt as though there was something jammed inside it, and her blood felt as if it had turned cold at the menacing aura the visitor was projecting. Her silence seemed to aggravate the blue-haired man though, as he was suddenly prowling towards her, his eyes narrowing dangerously.

"I asked you a question, chick."

Opening her mouth to try and speak, but she felt overwhelmed by the volatile nature that was radiating off this person, and the words didn't want to leave detach themselves from her tongue. She closed her eyes in an attempt to calm her pounding heart, willing the lump in her throat to go away.

Suddenly, a hand was wrapped tightly around her throat, a growl echoing around the room as Orihime felt the floor beneath her feet disappear. Her own hands came to grasp at the blue-haired man's arm, instinctively trying to pry him off her. How this person could be holding her off the floor with one arm, Orihime didn't know, nor was she in any position to wonder about it as her air supply was being cut off.

"Grimmjow," a monotonous voice cut in, a warning hidden beneath the name, and the blue-haired male clucked his tongue, bringing Orihime back down to the ground, where she promptly fell to her hands and knees, clutching at her throat as she attempted to force breath back into her lungs.

Cautiously, she looked back up at Grimmjow and noticed that he was still looking down at her, an irritated, yet curious expression on his face, his hands now clenched into tight fists at his side. With an obvious effort, he averted his attention to whoever it was that had broke into the scene – much to Orihime's relief.

Orihime followed his lead and turned her attention to the newcomer as well, her eyes narrowing with uncertainty as she caught sight of them. How many people, or beings, were in this house? First a man-like creature with wings and fur, then someone who, inexplicably, had bright blue hair and could lift her off the ground with one hand, and now another man was standing in her doorway, his attention focused on Grimmjow.

For the briefest moment, Orihime thought the new male was naked, until she realised that his skin was simply the same colour as his clothes – snow-white. His jacket, though short at the front, had coat-tails long enough that they almost brushed the floor as he stood, and his pants were a pair of Hakama. The white of his top and pants were only further exaggerated by the boots he wore, the hems of his jacket, and the sash on his Hakama, all of which were black.

Then, Orihime paid closer attention to the newcomers face, taking in his shoulder-length raven hair, the startlingly, bright emerald green eyes, and the thin teal-tear streaks that ran down his face. As she looked at him, the pale-man glanced down at her, and in the moment their eyes met, Orihime had a flash of the night before, something that made her gasp in shock with realisation.

Before she could speak, Draculquiorra turned his glare back to Grimmjow, who seemed to have understood an unspoken command that came with the expression, for he chose that point to snarl once more. Throwing Orihime another look, though this one was more intrigued than threatening, he pushed his way past Draculquiorra, who still stood in the doorway.

Shakily, Orihime rose to her feet, her eyes locked on the form of Draculquiorra, trying to understand why he looked so different from the night before. He regarded her once more, before he also turned to leave the room.

"Wait!" Orihime cried out, instinctively, and Draculquiorra cocked his head so that he looking at her from the corner of his eye. "I don't … understand. You're … the same one from last night, aren't you?"

Hesitantly, Draculquiorra turned so that he was fully facing Orihime, his eyes narrowing the smallest amount, so small that if Orihime hadn't been paying close attention she would have missed it. "If I am?" he asked her slowly.

"But … The fur, and the wings…" she gestured helplessly at his current form, her brow furrowed with confusion.

Sighing softly, Draculquiorra took a step towards her, "That … is my released form. It's … more convenient to use this on a day to day basis."

"Why?"

Draculquiorra looked taken by surprise for a split second before his poker-face returned, and he began to explain, "Because … this form doesn't stand out as much, and it tends to be easier to move around in-"

As Draculquiorra attempted to explain, Orihime had the distinct impression that he wasn't used to explaining why he preferred this more humane form, a thought that made her wonder if Draculquiorra had spent most of his life alone. A thought which, in turn, made the sympathy she felt for the vampire before her return.

And then she felt it. As she listened to Draculquiorra's reasons, his frown becoming more pronounced as he continued to try and explain, Orihime trying to understand everything that was going on around her, a headache was coming on. Only, this felt worse than a headache, more like she was rocketing towards a cliff with no way to stop it.

"Stop!" a small voice suddenly cried out, halting Draculquiorra's fumbled explanation and both pairs of eyes in the room were drawn to Shun'o who had jumped from her sealed state, an urgent look on her face. Beside the blonde captain of Orihime's fairies, hovered Tsubaki, his arms folded and eyes narrowed as he glared at Draculquiorra, something that Orihime distantly felt amusing considering the severe difference in height.

"Ayame," Shun'o called softly, and the timid fairy partner of Shun'o sprung out of her released state as well. She glanced at Shun'o for a few seconds, then nodded with understanding. She came to float in front of Orihime, and extended her hand out so that her forefinger and middle finger were placed in the center of Orihime's forehead.

"Sorry, Orihime-san," she whispered, and Orihime realised what she was doing at the last minute.

"No! I don't … want … to …" she trailed off, first falling to her knees, then Ayame and Shun'o lowered her to the ground by her arms, slowly so that she wouldn't wake up with bruises.

"That was close," Shun'o sighed as she looked down at Orihime's sleeping form apologetically, before fixing Draculquiorra with a cold look. "You almost overloaded her, you know," she stated as she quickly returned to a height where she could meet his eye. "If we hadn't put her to sleep, her mind would have snapped. Don't you have any experience with humans? You can't just dump all that otherworldly information on them!"

"No, I don't," Draculquiorra told the small-being in front of him, trying to ignore his inane curiosity about the three that were floating in the room, Ayame watching over Orihime, and Tsubaki silently glaring at him from behind Shun'o still. How peculiar they all were.

Shun'o's glare lessened slightly at his words. "You've never been around humans before?"

Before Draculquiorra could say anything to the fairy, the black-male one caught his attention, using the most ridiculous term Draculquiorra had ever heard, let alone been called.

"Oi, bat-boy. I don't know what your intentions are, bringing the woman here," he said, a definite snarl to his words, "but if you hurt her in any way, you'll have us to deal with, you hear?" and, as he finished his threat, another three fairies leapt out with cries of agreement and joined the two who were staring Draculquiorra down, Ayame still fussing over the Woman asleep on the floor.

Casting his eyes over the group of fairies before him, Draculquiorra couldn't help but wonder how a human came to be in possession of this group that were threatening him. Him! The fourth born vampire-son, Ulquiorra Schiffer.

Scoffing under his breath, Ulquiorra turned and left the room without a word, his coat tails flapping behind him. _She truly is a strange woman_, he thought as he sought out Grimmjow, wondering where the foolish were-panther had gone to, and whether he was making a mess of his kitchen – again.

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><p>And there we have it, the end of Chapter two~<br>What did you guys think? Hopefully you liked it - I promise, there will be proper interaction soon =3


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